One of the biggest questions on Capitol Hill right now is figuring out what to do with Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s blockade on military promotions. The Alabama Republican has spent much of the year throwing a ridiculous anti-abortion tantrum; it’s affecting the armed forces; and it’s not altogether clear when this fiasco will be resolved.
The prevailing idea is that the GOP senator might be more reasonable if he feels enough pressure to change course. With this in mind, it was interesting to see VoteVets, a prominent veterans organization with a progressive agenda, launch a new ad targeting Tuberville. AL.com in the senator’s home state of Alabama reported:
The one-minute ad from VoteVets, titled “Situation,” begins with an empty conference table to symbolize military leaders who have not been confirmed because of the holds and footage of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. A blaring red alarm then appears on the screen as video of Tuberville plays.
“For months, one lone senator, Tommy Tuberville, who never served in uniform himself, has held hostage hundreds of military assignments just to force his MAGA social agenda on women in the ranks,” the narrator tells viewers. “Freezing all promotions for top military posts to the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, leaving mission critical positions to go vacant.
“Our enemies are watching, looking for any vulnerabilities to exploit. And MAGA Sen. Tommy Tuberville is playing right into their hands, playing political games with our national security. And not one Republican in Congress will stand up to him and let our troops keep us safe.”
That last sentence in the spot was of particular interest. Punchbowl News reported this week, “Tuberville insists he’s not under any pressure from GOP colleagues to cave,” and when NBC News asked the senator on Tuesday whether he’s faced any pressure from fellow Republicans to drop his hold on military promotions, he replied, “No. Zero.”
With VoteVets’ message in mind, if “not one Republican in Congress will stand up to him and let our troops keep us safe,” then this fiasco isn’t simply about one misguided senator; it’s the Senate GOP conference that will share the blame.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stressed the same point on the chamber floor yesterday. “Very simply, the onus is on Republican senators to prevail on Sen. Tuberville and get him to back off his reckless pursuit. That is the crux of the matter,” the New York Democrat said. “It’s on the backs of his Republican colleagues to get Sen. Tuberville to back off. It’s hurting our military security. It’s dangerous, unprecedented, and they have the power and the ability to stop him from doing it.” All of this comes against a backdrop of growing pressure from leaders of the armed forces, including Lt. Gen. Andrew Rohling, the deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Europe-Africa, who said this week that Tuberville’s tactics are “reprehensible, irresponsible, and dangerous.” There’s also, of course, literally every living former defense secretary from the past quarter-century — including two former Republican members of the Senate — who recently signed on to a joint statement to Senate leaders with a simple message: Tuberville is hurting the military with his blockade. With the Alabaman continue to ignore all of them? Will his GOP colleagues ever decide to press him to pursue a less radical course? Watch this space.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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